Alice Martin's debut novel, Westward Women, is speculative fiction that reminded me of Naomi Alderman's The Power thematically. It is 1970s America, and women aged 35 begin to slow down, are drawn to the Pacific, moths to a flame. Martin's ideas are expertly crafted and she teases the themes out, allowing undercurrents of tension to permeate.

We follow three women on this journey - Aimee, Teenie and Eve - and their stories as they intersect and collide as they love towards the coast. This shifting POV chapters provide a propulsive element to the narrative and the three women prove interesting and engaging characters. The 1970s backdrop is well drawn, even if it is an alternative version of the history we remember.

This is an assured debut and Alice Martin is certainly a name to watch on the back of this.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.